7 Responses to A.J. Burnett Does What We All Expected, Rangers Take 3-1 ALCS Lead

Boy oh boy are our backs against the wall. It's safe to say it's time to push the panic button and really really really go balls to wall and play hard tomorrow. I've read and heard from folks that they're ready to throw in the towel and while apart of me is ready too, the other part just can't stomach watching this team collapse like this.

They are not collapsing. They're just playing like they have for the past 2 months. The Minny series was an uptick on a dismal 2nd half. I'd like to take Gerardi's notebook and knock him over the head with it. Why was'nt Golston pinch running then in right field when Tex got hurt, he makes easy work of the flyball single that Thames backs up and lets drop. Why when AJ almost uncorked a WP during the intentional walk did'nt red flags go up that he was losing focus, the road map of his pitching career. This team has followed him down the road of no feel for the game. Cross your fingers and hope the probabilities hold up. Even when the variables are changing. Close your eyes and all will go well or over manage yourself int oblivion. AJ did his job Joe spoiled the celebration. There's still a chance to catch lighting in the bottle. As a fan I'll go down with the ship until the final out.

Not so sure Girardi was being greedy Rob. Had he done much different maybe the final would have been 15-3. A.J. performed much better than we all know he could have. He gave the O a chance, the bats have left the building. Not much you can say about that. It's '06 all over again. I'm beside myself! I don't care what the forecast is for this weekend, it's looking miserable.

I definitely think Girardi got greedy. I think if you would have told any of us that Burnett would hold the Rangers to 2 runs over 5 innings we all would have taken it. 4 innings is a reasonable workload for the bullpen to handle. That game was the Yankees and Girardi let it slip away to get one more inning out of Burnett.

Did Girardi leave Burnett in too long? Maybe. But if Burnett gets through the sixth inning, all of the sudden Girardi knew what he was doing. It's baseball. Bottom line is this…The Texas Rangers have simply outplayed the New York Yankees. This is a tough pill to swallow, but it's the truth. Top to bottom, the Rangers lineup has stepped up and played some outstanding baseball. Many of the players on the Yankee staff carry themselves as if winning is their God given right. The Rangers play baseball. The Yankees act as if the Rangers should just crumble for them. And why? Because they're the Yankees? Those boys need to get off their high horse and produce. And that just hasn't happened. The Yankee mystique is now called, the Yankee mistake. Don't expect it, earn it. The Yankees are getting their tails whooped in every aspect of the game. And by who? A team that has never won a post season series until the ALDS this year. Money can buy you many things, but it can't buy effort. The Texas Rangers are simply a much better team. Let's all acknowledge it. It's the right thing to do.